IS THERE A FUTURE FOR FREELANCE WAR REPORTERS IN SPAIN?
Journalism In Context. Tutor: Dr. Ayo Oyeleye
November 2013
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR FREELANCE WAR
REPORTERS IN SPAIN?
CARMEN VALENCIA LÓPEZ
Birmingham City University, UK
ABSTRACT This study aims to shed light on journalism labour and especially on freelancers working as war reporters in Spain. The study takes as its starting point three reports that represent the main factors (war reporting, freelance, journalism context) and the analysis of their content leads us to assert that the future of journalism as a profession is going to self-employed media professionals, which includes war reporters, who work as autonomous, dissociated from specific newspapers, but very linked to what it is known as embedded journalism. In general, it is a breath of fresh air to the profession that is living the most critical crisis within media sector.
KEY WORDS: war reporting, freelance, journalism crisis, journalism in Spain, journalism opportunities
Within media world, roles have
Introduction
“Journalists in the future will work
changed and new ones have also
as freelance and on a project
appeared. However, crisis affects
basis,”
in this area as well as the rest of
explains
Pilar
Trucios,
Spanish journalist, in an interview
business
world.
According
to
for Politic Riders, 2013.
“Informe Anual de la Profesión
Periodística 2012”, 13% of the
1
Journalism In Context. Tutor: Dr. Ayo Oyeleye
November 2013
journalists
as
Her research Tesis doctoral,
freelancers and 66% of them were
origen y evolución de la relación
forced by circumstancesi.
entre periodistas y militares en
This
in
report
Spain
work
focuses
on
the
operaciones.
El
sistema
de
situation of freelance journalists in
empotrados Irak 2003 will be one
Spain, specially the ones who work
of the three reports to analyse, in
as war reporters. Due to the
November 2013
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR FREELANCE WAR
REPORTERS IN SPAIN?
CARMEN VALENCIA LÓPEZ
Birmingham City University, UK
ABSTRACT This study aims to shed light on journalism labour and especially on freelancers working as war reporters in Spain. The study takes as its starting point three reports that represent the main factors (war reporting, freelance, journalism context) and the analysis of their content leads us to assert that the future of journalism as a profession is going to self-employed media professionals, which includes war reporters, who work as autonomous, dissociated from specific newspapers, but very linked to what it is known as embedded journalism. In general, it is a breath of fresh air to the profession that is living the most critical crisis within media sector.
KEY WORDS: war reporting, freelance, journalism crisis, journalism in Spain, journalism opportunities
Within media world, roles have
Introduction
“Journalists in the future will work
changed and new ones have also
as freelance and on a project
appeared. However, crisis affects
basis,”
in this area as well as the rest of
explains
Pilar
Trucios,
Spanish journalist, in an interview
business
world.
According
to
for Politic Riders, 2013.
“Informe Anual de la Profesión
Periodística 2012”, 13% of the
1
Journalism In Context. Tutor: Dr. Ayo Oyeleye
November 2013
journalists
as
Her research Tesis doctoral,
freelancers and 66% of them were
origen y evolución de la relación
forced by circumstancesi.
entre periodistas y militares en
This
in
report
Spain
work
focuses
on
the
operaciones.
El
sistema
de
situation of freelance journalists in
empotrados Irak 2003 will be one
Spain, specially the ones who work
of the three reports to analyse, in
as war reporters. Due to the
References: APM, (2012) Informe Annual de la Profesion Periodistica 2012: las cifras mas aproximadas del sector periodistico Bernabe, M., (2013) Periodistas empotrados. El Mundo [online]. Spain, on 6 April 2013. Carrasco, M., (2012) Interview in ABC [online]. Sevilla, on 15 April 2012.